TCSI Newsletter January 2020

Transforming the Collection of Student Information (TCSI)

Please note the following change to implementation dates for TCSI. The first date from which TCSI will be available to receive new records, revisions, and deletions is now Monday 4 May 2020.

The decision to defer the production release of TCSI has been made in light of integration delays with legacy technology and complexity in implementing the system that will manage student entitlements. It is important that the system is accurately recording student debts to avoid any disadvantage to students post go live. Accordingly, the changed implementation date will provide an increased window for dedicated testing and integration with software developers, to ensure this new technology meets quality standards.

This delay affects the project's backend systems rather than front-end development and connectivity. Release 1 API end points which have been iteratively available for development and testing throughout 2019, are all operational in the test environments. End to end test integration will be available from early March 2020.

While 31 May 2020 remains the optimal timeframe for transitioning to the new TCSI reporting arrangements, as per the 2020 Higher Education Data Collection Ministerial Notice and the 2020 VET Student Loans Secretary's Notice, an extended transition period will be available for providers requiring additional time to commence reporting via the TCSI system. This will be formalised shortly in an update to the Notices.

Higher education providers

Higher education providers planning to adopt TCSI in May 2020 should not be impacted. We will continue to work closely with you as you transition to TCSI.

Providers able to adopt TCSI by 30 June 2020 can delay their first submission of 2020 data until this date.

For providers unable to meet a 30 June timeframe, we will work with you to develop a transition pathway for your organisation that reduces any negative impacts on students and their HELP entitlements.

All providers will need an agreed plan to transition to TCSI no later than 31 August 2020.

VSL providers

VSL providers will continue to use HEPCAT to report 2020 census dates until they transition to TCSI to avoid any delay to their payments.

All providers will need to transition to TCSI by 31 August 2020.

Next steps

To help us understand the expected date by which your institution is now likely to commence reporting through TCSI please update your transition details at the following link: expired.

This should take less than 3 minutes and will enable us to work with you to develop a transition pathway for your organisation.

The TCSI January newsletter and our webinars over the next two weeks will provide more detailed information on the changed TCSI implementation date and transition arrangements.